Clinical History: John Doe, a 45-year-old male, was admitted…
Clinical History: John Doe, a 45-year-old male, was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of increasing shortness of breath and confusion over the past 24 hours. He has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been a smoker for the past 20 years. On examination, the patient was found to be tachypneic, with shallow breathing and decreased breath sounds bilaterally. He was confused and disoriented.ABG Results:pH: 7.31PCO2: 49 mmHgHCO3: 25 mmol/L Explain the pathophysiology of the reading PCO2: 49mmHg in relation to this patient: